Method of making hats



24, 1944. P. E. YOUNG METHOD OF MAKING HATS Filed Nov. 4, 1940 firm/ms):

brim curved either upwardly or'downwardly or Patented Oct. 24, 1944 PAT EN r OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING HATS Philip E. Young, Arcadia Califi, assignor to George S. Bailey Hat Gompany, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application November 4, 1940, Serial No. 354,188

2 Claims.

ing the same, wherein the crown and brim are composed of single separate pieces of material, preformed and reinforced "to insure permanence in the desired form and shape, in' combination with novel means for releasably maintaining ,a reversible band for the crown, comprising another feature of my invention, in properly adjusted position. Cloth of woven mesh material, such, for example, as cotton, flax, orrayon has been found to be suitable for the manufacture of mens summer hats, and to have many exclusive advantages. For example hats of cloth'may be made to resembl straw, yet avoid the objections to the i7 latter material in that they will not sunburn or discolor nor will they tend to dry out and become brittle as will straw.

Cloth hats of the prior art have been usually constructed of a plurality of pieces. Heretofore it has been deemed necessary to make the crown of several pieces because of the lack of means. or a method for maintaining the shape of a crown prepared from a single piece. While it is custornary to size the material of which the hat is composed by the application of a stiilen'lng solution, a hat having a crown of a single piece will tend to blow out i. e. thefabric will spread or stretch, when moist, and is easily distorted by repeated handling. r

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a method of maintaining the preformed shape of a crown composed. of a single piece of woven mesh fabric and of a brimof like material,

in accordance with which the crown and brim,

after shaping on suitable form, are separately stitched in a decorative manner, so as to resist subsequent stretching or distortion of the fabric.

Another object is to provide, in hats adapted to have a curved brim, a cord, of a length less than the circumference of the brim, sewed or otherwise incorporated in the peripheral edge of the brim so asto retain said edge within the circle described by the cord, and, accordingly with the with the portions of the brim at opposite sides of the crown turned in opposite directions.

Another and highly important object is the provision of a hatband or ribbon of diiferent Colors yi g different designs, on its oppo- This invention relates to hats, particularly 11 those of cloth composition, and methods of makthe clothing of the wearer, as well as to enable a substitution by an entirely different band more pleasing to a particular customer.

Still another object is to provide a series of retaining devices to engage the band when arranged on the crown and thereby maintain the band in a position contiguous with the brim, as well as to prevent circular motion of the band with respect to the crown which would tend to dislodge the buckle or other ornamentation, e. g., a feather, from its desired location. I

Other objects and salient features of my invention, as, for example; simplicity and greater economy of manufacture, ease of assembly of the brim and crown, a wide application of the principal features hereof to different styles of hats,

andsusceptibility of attractive appearance of the mechanically advantageous feature of the stitching, will be apparent from'jthe following descrip tion read in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the crown, cord and brim comprising principal parts of my invention before assembly, illustrating particularly these parts after the first step in the manufacture of partially shaping the crown;

I Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the crown and brim after incorporating the cord in the peripheral edge of the brim, the steps of stitching the crown and brim, and of further shaping the crown; 1

. 7 Fig.3 is a perspective View of the preformed crown and brim after assembly; I N

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the complete'hat with the band attached. I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a reversible band having different designs on opposite sides adapted for selective arrangement on the hat by the wearer with either side of the band visible; i Fig. 6 is a sectional View of the completed hat illustrating the cord in the brim and a pair of retaining devices for the band carried by the crown under the sweatband;

Fig. 7 is a broken sectional view of the base of the crown depicting particularly one form of hatband retaining device in detail.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numerals of which indicate similar parts throughout the several views, 10 designates generally the crown of the hat incorporating my invention, which may be composed of any suitable material well known in the art. My invention is particularly adapted to summer light-weight men's hats composedof loosely-woven fabric of cotton, flax, or rayon. The crown I0 is first shaped on a suitable rial, and of a length less than the outerperiphery of the fiat'a'nn ulus of fabric, having its' ends attached together, is provided to curve the brim ll radially from edge to edge. To this end and,

to reinforcethe outer edge of the brim, said edge I4 is turned upon itself as at l5, enveloping the cord 13, and is stitched to an adjacent portion of brim H.

cord and causes the brim to assume a transverse are extending either upwardly or downwardly from its inner edge or with opposite sides turned Cord I3 serves tore'tain outeredg'e M of the brim within the circle described by the 2,361,345 'i II J when the latter is arranged on the hat. Thus,

'with the band encircling the crown only one of the strips 2| will be visible, and, in order to adapt the hat to a different ensemble, the wearer need only to disengage the end of the band from the buckle and rearrange the same with the other strip thereof visible, the free end 24being again secured by the wearer tin buckle 2,2. It will be 'obvious that the band "may be removed and an entirely different band substituted if desired.

It is common practice to stitch the hatband to the .crownwat intervals in order to obviate its shifting or creeping on the crown of the hat.

-Such amethod precludes, from a practical standpoint, the reversal of the-band so attached, as

' well as'its'substitution by the wearer. In order in different directions. The inner edge or the" brim is then turned upwardly sto form a flange .,[6 for subsequent attachment to crown in. In order to assist handling .ofthe crown and brim during later steps in-the-manufacture, both parts are treated with -;a sizing solution .and pressed,

the .top .of the .crown being pressed. during this initial sizing, in its .originalf-orm with the .top gCOIlVBX. v i

In order .to prevent the woven fabric of which the crown l0 and .brim .H .are composed, from r subsequently stretching or spreading, these parts are stitched, as indicated at IT, in a decorative .manner which reinforces the woven threads. The stitching of thecrown In isfstarted at the center of the top and is spiraled outwardly in an unbroken line to the .base of the crown, theadjacent .convolutions of stitching. ranging preferably from one-quarter to one-half inch apart. It will be .understoodth at separate concentric circles of stitching maybe employed as a reinforcement if desired, as well as stitching in .anydirection transverse to a line perpendicular to the lower edge of the crown, The brim II is similarly stitched from thebase of the flange spirally outward to the peripheral hemmed edge in which the cord 10 is secured.

The top of crown .i 0 is then indented in a manner depending .on the style .or shape desired, and both" crown and Ibrim are again sized by the application of .a stifiening solution of any well-1 known composition and thereafter pressed. .If .found desirabletheiirststep. of sizing and pressing, 1. e., before thecrown and brim are stitched may be omitted. The 'crown and brim are assembled by telescoping the crown-over flange [6 of ,the brim, the two being then sewed together.

' A conventional sweatbandlB, preferably composed of "leather or the'like is arranged in crown 10 so as to line the base thereof and flange l6 of .the brim. The lower edge of sweatband I8 is. sewed' as at ll) to the brim adjacent the angle formed between the upstanding flange I5 andthe laterally extending outwardly curved ,portion of the brim.

A .A hatband 20, provided to encircle the base of known-type of bucklemay be substitutecllfor the bne'shown'and may incorporate atongue, teeth or the like, for'securingihe free end of the band .to releasably secure the band-or ribbon 20 of my invention in a proper position I provide a "series of retaining devices 25 which comprise .generally elements adapted for attachment by sewing or the like, as indicated at;26, to the in- ,ner surface of the base ,of.crown H1 at spaced distances apart, carrying sharpened ends or hooks adapted to protrude laterally through the crown base and intodifferentreaches of the hatband. In the embodiment .of my invention illustrated, these retaining devices .25 each comprise a single piece of wire bent .to form .a wide flat base 2?! which is adapted, when attached as above-described to the crown, vto maintain a laterally ex tending sharpened .end 2.8 protruding through the crown and into the hatband. It will be expressly understood. .that the retaining devices shown are merelyillustrativeof .the various means which may, indifferent forms, be utilized .to prevent-either a circularmotion of theband onthe crown which would .tendto displace buckle 22 or other ornamentation from its desired location, or .a creeping of the band toward th narrower up- ,per .part of the crown, yet from which the band maybe easily disengaged .to facilitate its reversal.

It will be observed that while .in a completed hat the stitching l1 appears to have merely a decorative function ,(though it may be made almost invisible, if desired) its mechanical advantage is .of the greatest importance in that by its reinforcement of the woven threads it enables the manufacture of the crownof a single piece of fabric and maintains distortion to which the fabric has beensubjected in the process of shaping.

"While I have illustrated and described but one embodiment of myinvention, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the foregoing that the emphasized features of my invention may be incorporated in hatsof various styles as well as of those of any materials of which hats are commonly made; "that said inventive features are-not restrictedto mens'hats; that tape binding of the same length as the cord relative to the original circumference of .the brim, may be substituted for the cord; and that numerous changes in size, design, shape and proportion of the various parts may be ,made without departing from the scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

What'I claim and desire .to secure by Letters Patent is:

' 1. Ina method of making hats, the steps of shaping the crownfrom a single piece of material, reinforcing the crown to maintain the .predetermined diameter of the crown by stitching on a line substantially parallel to the lower edge of the crown and "intermediate the top and base thereof, cutting an annular brim of a single piece of material, securing a cord of an inelastic material of a length less than the circumference of the brim in the outer edge of the latter so as to curve the brim from edge to edge thereof, and 5 securing the crown and brim together.

2. In a method of making hats, the steps of: shaping the crown from a single piece of material, reinforcing the crown to maintain the predetermined diameter of the crown by stitching on lo 

